


Marry Me.

by taeyoooooong



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Catch me crying in the club, Fluff, Happy Ending, I Will Go Down With This Ship, It's late, M/M, Original Character(s), Swearing, chensung - Freeform, huang renjun - Freeform, i just love nomin okay, lee donghyuck - Freeform, lee jeno - Freeform, luren, mark lee - Freeform, markhyuck, minor characters - Freeform, na jaemin - Freeform, nomin, park jisung - Freeform, wow my first chaptered fic, zhong chenle - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-08-09 23:50:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16459427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taeyoooooong/pseuds/taeyoooooong
Summary: It's the first time they've seen each other since they got engaged nearly a decade ago.orJeno and Jaemin were close childhood friends, and even decided to get married. But then, Jaemin moves away for a while. No worries, he's back now, and Jeno wants to marry him even more.





	1. Chapter 1

Jaemin walked out to the playground at recess, taking out his goldfish and lazily throwing them in his mouth. He walked around the play bars, just observing the people around him. Jaemin was an expert at people, he was halfway through kindergarten.  He saw the yard monitors yelling at a group of older students, and then he saw kids from his class playing together. Then he set his gaze on a boy sitting on the swing set, absent-mindedly swinging back and forth. Jaemin walked towards him, settling for offering the boy some goldfish.

“Hi! My name’s Jaemin! Do you want some goldfish?”

The boy looked up and smiled.

“Sure! My name’s Jeno.” Jeno grabbed the goldfish and thanked Jaemin.

“Jeno, do you wanna go play?”

“Yeah, let’s go!” And the two boys raced each other to the field.

* * *

 

“Jaemin.”

“Eh?”

“Let’s get married.”

“Why?”

“We’re best friends. Why not?”

“Okay then.”

The two boys sat on Jaemin’s couch watching the latest movie and eating popcorn.  Jeno suddenly proposed to Jaemin, and Jaemin almost said no since they were only in fourth grade, but to be honest Jaemin didn’t mind.

“Hey mom! Jeno and I are getting married. I hope you’re okay with that because I kinda already said yes.” Jaemin’s mom laughed.

“Okay. I love Jeno anyway. He’ll always be welcome. Now, why don’t you boys go to the park.”

“Okay mom!”

* * *

 

“Jeno, guess what? My mom is okay with us getting married. We shall proceed with the ceremony next year at our fifth grade graduation.”

“That sounds about right. My mom approves too. I’ll get you a ring next year.”

“Hey! I’ll get you a ring next year too. Jeno, this can’t be a one- sided relationship. The marriage will be completely loveless.”

“Speaking of love, I love you, Jaemin.”

Jaemin rolled his eyes. “About time. I was wondering when you where going to say it. You proposed yesterday!”

Jeno whined. “Say it back!”

“Fine. I love you too.” Jaemin huffed.

“Yay!” Jeno grinned and threw himself onto Jaemin, and hugged him. Despite him pushing Jeno off, Jaemin really did love him.

* * *

 

 

“Boys, smile for the picture! It’s your graduation day and I want to get a nice picture.”

“Moooooooom, please let us go to the park. You’ve taken like 300 pictures.”

“Sorry, Ms. Na. We’ll take some pictures later. Can you tell my mom I’m going to the park with Jaemin?”

“Of course, Jeno. I’ll see you boys later. Don’t ruin your suits!” Jaemin’s mom yelled after them as the boys sprinted towards the park.

Soon the boys slowed down to the swing set, and sat down next to each other.

“Happy one-year engagement anniversary!” Jeno pulled out a box from his pocket.

Jaemin smiled, and pulled a similar box out of his pocket.

“How do we do this? I’m not sure, I’ve never been to a wedding.”

“I’m not sure either. I guess I’ll just say, uh, I love you Jaemin, will you marry me?”

“I thought you already proposed?”

“I know, but that didn’t count. I wanted to have a proper engagement, and then we’ll get married this summer.”

“Oh okay. Is this the part where you put the ring on my finger?”

“I think so.” Jeno slipped the ring onto Jaemin’s finger.

“Okay. Your turn.”

“Lee Jeno, let’s spend the rest of our life together.” And Jaemin slipped the same ring onto Jeno’s finger. The two boys hugged, and after they parted, they burst out laughing. The rings were metal bands and fake diamonds. They costed 3 dollars, and they had to save up at least 3 weeks of allowance to get that. Darn, stuff was expensive.

“I can’t believe we just got married.”

“For real, Jaemin. Pinky promise me you’ll stay with me even if we don’t get married?”

Jeno held out his pinky waiting for Jaemin to link it with his.

“Jeno, why would you ask that? Of course I will.”

Jaemin linked Jeno’s pinky with his, and they touched thumbs. Now the agreement was sealed.

“Let’s got back and show our parents.”

“I’ll race you!” Then, the two boys took off running.

* * *

 

Jeno and Jaemin sat side by side on the swing set, licking their popsicles in silence in the summer heat.

“Jeno, I have to tell you something.” Jeno turned to look at Jaemin.

“Yeah, what’s up Nana?”

“I’m moving away.” Jeno’s eyes widened.

“For how long?”

“Till college.” Jeno frowned. That was a long time.

“But then we can’t get married. And you’ll break your promise!”

“Jeno, when I come back, I promise I’ll still have the ring and we’ll get married.” Jeno’s eyes watered.

“No, that’s not the promise I wanted.” Jeno pouted, and Jaemin started to cry seeing Jeno cry too.

“Which one, then?” Jeno sniffled.

“The one where you said you’d never leave me.” Jaemin saw a tear slide down Jeno’s cheek, and immediately hugged him. Jeno hugged him back.

“Jeno, I’ll never ever break that one. I know we won’t see each other for a very long time, but I will always remember you and I’ll never leave you.”

“Promise you’ll still have the ring?”

“Only if you do.”

“Okay.” Jeno calmed down, and so did Jaemin. Slowly, they walked hand in hand back home.

* * *

 

“Good bye Jeno.”

“Good bye Jaemin.”

The boys were both crying into each other’s hoodies at the airport. This was Jaemin’s last day with Jeno for a very long time. He was moving to Busan for his father’s job. Jaemin’s mom was talking with Jeno’s mom, and when they saw the boys crying again, they chuckled slightly. They even snapped a picture.

“Mom, I’m losing my husband here, now is not the time.” Jeno sniffed. He turned to Jaemin and hugged him again.

“Nana, I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’m gonna miss you too, Nono.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”  Jaemin’s mom checked the time, and said they were going to miss their flight.

“Bye bye. I’ll see you soon, Jaemin.”

“Bye bye, Jeno.” And Jaemin walked off to board, and Jeno’s mom took the crying boy back home. The two best friends looked at each other sadly for the last time, and whispered silent goodbyes.

* * *

“Jaemin! Get the fuck up!” Renjun barged into Jaemin’s side of the room. Jaemin was now attending Seoul university, he’d finally moved back for his second year of college. Renjun, a friend he made in middle school, roomed with him.

“Noo, I only slept for three hours.”

“Why?”                                                  

“I was just thinking.” He’d just remembered a good friend from childhood, and was trying to get back in touch.

“Well, we’re going to be late. Donghyuck wanted us to meet his friend.”

“Oh shit!” Jaemin rolled out of bed and threw on any old hoodie he picked up. He quickly brushed his teeth and tried to make his hair look decent. Then he threw on his shoes, and he and Renjun were out in 5 minutes. Record time.

“So, what’s his name?”

“Who’s?”

“Donghyuck’s friend?”

“I dunno. I think he met him in dance club.” Jaemin nodded.

“Well, at least we’re going to a park. I wouldn’t want to make a bad impression on them. Also, do you know what park?”

“The one near by that old elementary school. Anyway, you sure you okay?” Jaemin’s heart panged, as he thought about him.

“I am. Let’s get walking.” Jaemin brushed Renjun off, and started speed-walking, and Renjun followed suit.

As Jaemin and Renjun walked to the park, Jaemin fiddled with his ring. He only sighed as memories started to come back of Jeno. It’d been so long since he’d thought about him, and regretfully so, since he remembered a promise that he’d made to him.

_“Jaemin, now is not the time. Just have fun today.”_ Jaemin thought to himself. He’d find a way to talk to Jeno, but today was for him and his friends.

Jaemin and Renjun finally arrived at the park, and almost instantly, Jaemin forgot about Jeno as he saw the familiar playground.

“Oh my god, Injun. It’s been years since I’ve been here! I can’t believe I’m back!” Jaemin cried out happily, as Renjun chuckled.

“Hey, look. There’s Hyuck and his friend. Donghyuck saw them, and waved them down near the swing set, then a boy with black hair followed.

_“That must be him.”_ Jaemin thought. He had some kind of gut feeling, although he wasn’t quite sure what it was.

As the pair got closer to Hyuck and his friend, Jaemin stopped in his tracks. And it appeared the other boy did too. Jaemin peered at the boy’s face, recognizing something. He just didn’t know what. However, it seemed the boy knew something he didn’t, and he smiled, while holding up his left hand. There he saw a familiar ring, with a weathered ring band and diamond. Jaemin gasped, and took his hand out of his pocket. Was it really…

“Jaemin-ah!!!!” The boy started running closer, and from there he could see that adorable eye smile that he knew all too well.

“Jeno!” Jaemin started running towards him as well, and they collided together in a tight hug.

“Jaemin, is it really you?” Jeno whispered into Jaemin’s neck.

“Yeah. It’s me. It’s me. I missed you.” Jaemin pulled away to look at Jeno with watery eyes, and it looked like he wasn’t alone. He studied Jeno for a while, he really hadn’t changed, except for more mature features and his height.

“It’s been a while, Jaemin. Way too long.” Jaemin nodded.

Renjun and Donghyuck finally got over their confusion and walked over.

“Hey, uh, don’t want to ruin the moment and everything, but please explain to Renjun and I?”  Donghyuck looked at them, with an eyebrow raised.

“Well, I first met Jeno in kindergarten. He was this lonely loser kid that always sat by himself, and one day I came up to him with goldfish. We became friends because of that.”

“I see. So, care to explain why you guys just crashed together in the middle of a playground?”

Jaemin wiped a fake tear, and looked at Jeno.

“I missed my fiancé.” Jeno grinned.

“Ha! You still remember!”

“Of course I would!” Renjun eyed them curiously.

“Fiancé?”

“Yeah. Jeno proposed to me in fourth grade, and we said that we’d get married in the summer of fifth. But, sadly I moved away.”

“Speaking of which,” Jeno interjected, “You said you’d come back the first year of college. It’s the second.” Jeno frowned.

“Some fiancé you are. Nine years without marriage! It’s like I don’t know you anymore.”

“Shut up you baby. C’mere.” Jaemin moved closer and cupped Jeno’s face, and Jeno already knew what was going to happen. Jaemin always did this to annoy him.

“Hah, Jaemin, something came up. I gotta go.” Jeno looked over to Renjun and Donghyuck in a panic, and mouthed ‘help’, but they stared at him to let him suffer.

“Not today, Jeno. Not today.” Jaemin started peppering his face with kisses, while Jeno shouted in protest.

“Help me! Please,” Jeno begged while trying to shove Jaemin off him. Renjun and Donghyuk watched, trying and failing to stifle their laughter. Jaemin finally stopped, and just settled with an arm around Jeno’s shoulders.

“So, you aren’t dating?” Renjun asked.

“Oh my god, Renjun. We already told you. We’re engaged.” Jaemin held up his own hand and Jeno’s hand, showing their matching beat up rings.

Renjun and Donghyuck looked at each other.

“Okay then. Renjun and I are just gonna leave you guys to catch up.” They started walking away, and as soon they were out of sight, Jeno and Jaemin looked at each other, and a silent understanding passed between them. And they both took off to the grass.

“Ha ha! I beat you!” Jaemin shouted victoriously. Jeno pouted, and insisted he’d let Jaemin win.

“Sore loser.” Jaemin teased Jeno, but pulled him closer anyway. They started dancing, with Jeno just spinning and dipping Jaemin everywhere, and them just flinging their arms around ridiculously. Jeno then picked Jaemin up, spinning him around. Jaemin slapped him, scolding him in between bursts of laughter. But they somehow ended up tumbling to the fgrass, laughing both their asses off. Then, they just laid there, gazing up at the clouds, catching up all those years they missed.

Little did they know, Donghyuck and Renjun were standing at the edge of the park, watching the both of them goof off. They looked at each other and sighed. They knew.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's go time." Donghyuck said to the group.  
> "For what?" Jisung asked.   
> "Time for Operation Nomin."

 Jaemin smiled at his phone as he dug out the keys from his pocket, and lazily opened his dorm room. He just saw Jeno’s good night text, after catching up with him the whole day, and exchanging numbers with him. Renjun looked up at Jaemin, questioning his weird behavior.

“So, how was your day with Jeno?”

“Great! I’m gonna go cry now.” Renjun turned his head and stared at Jaemin.

“Why…?” Jaemin flopped down Renjun’s bed.

“I just…well…” Renjun motioned for Jaemin to go on.

“I actually don’t know?” Renjun let out a sigh.

“Then what do you think it is?”

“Just the whole day, I’ve been thinking about all those years I missed with Jeno. I also kinda feel bad for kind of forgetting him for a good couple years. There was a promise that I made to him before I left, and I guess I feel bad for breaking it.” Renjun sat down next to Jaemin.

“Don’t feel bad. You’re back now, and you’re with him again. I don’t get why you’re sad.”

“No, that’s not it though. I feel sadder than I should be, I don’t get why.” Something clicked in Renjun’s head, and in that instant, he knew what Jaemin was talking about.

“Oh, I see. Well, we should get to bed, it’s late and we have class tomorrow.” Renjun patted Jaemin’s back, and helped him off his bed.

“Fine.” Jaemin finally settled down, and was knocked out cold in five minutes.

* * *

 

Jaemin plopped down next to Renjun in the cafeteria area, where the rest of the group were peacefully chatting.

“What’s up with you, Jaemin?” Mark took a look at Jaemin worriedly, seeing eyes bags and his hair sticking out.

“I went to bed too late.”

“But we went to bed at the same time? I made sure you were asleep?” Renjun cocked his head curiously.

“I’m irresponsible, and I forgot to do an assignment. So, I woke up in a panic and stayed up to finish it. I only slept 3 hours.”

Donghyuck snorted. “Can’t relate.”

“Oh, shut up Hyuck. We all remember that one time in high school where you got drunk.” Donghyuck glared at Jaemin while everyone else snickered.

“Jisung, Chenle, stop laughing you fetuses, you weren’t there. Anyways, I’m just gonna go die. Hi, Jeno.”

Everyone turned their head, and then came a chorus of greetings. Jeno sat down next to Donghyuck.

“What’s up guys? I heard something about dying.” Renjun just rolled his eyes.

“It’s just Jaemin being dramatic. He’s sad that he only got 3 hours of sleep.” Jaemin groaned.

“Good bye world. Jisung, please grow up well. Chenle, sweetheart, I know you’ll be famous one day. Renjun, thanks for being a good roommate. Donghyuck, I hate you, but I’ll miss you. Mark, please take care of Donghyuck well. And Jeno, I love you. Sad that we’ll never get married.” Jaemin stood up dramatically, about to leave, but then Jeno pulled him onto his lap.

“Married?” Mark, Jisung, and Chenle glanced at Jeno and Jaemin.

“It’s a long story,” Jeno’s voice came muffled from behind Jaemin.

“Actually, guys, I just realized that I don’t have another class till’ later. I’m gonna go back to the dorms and sleep. See ya!” Jaemin stood up, and sleepily walked back to the dorms.

“Bye!” Jeno called out to Jaemin with a wave, and Jaemin returned it.

As soon as Jaemin left, Mark, Jisung, and Chenle bombarded Jeno with questions.

“Married? What does he mean?”

“I didn’t even know you knew Jaemin?”

“Why’d you pull him into your lap?” Jeno sighed.

“Do I really have to tell you? And Chenle, because he’s my fiancé. He gets the special treatment.” Jeno winked, and set off towards the dorms. Renjun and Donghyuck groaned, knowing Jeno left only because he didn’t want to explain, and left them to explain instead.

* * *

 Jaemin’s head perked up at the sound of knocking at his dorm’s door.

“Who is it?” He called out.

“It’s me,” A familiar voice rang out, and Jaemin jumped up to get it.

As Jaemin opened the door, he greeted Jeno confused.

“Hi, Jeno. How did you find my dorm?” Jeno smiled as he walked in,

“I remember hearing either you or Renjun telling me. I don’t remember who though.” Jeno laid down on Jaemin’s bed while Jaemin walked into the kitchen.

“You want something to drink?”

“No, thanks.”

“Why’d you come here?”

“Because I wanted to spend time with you,” Jeno replied. Jaemin grinned at him, and sat down next to Jeno.

“So, what’s up?” Jeno asked. Jaemin only sighed.

“I’m failing, like, nearly all of my classes.” Jeno snorted.

“And by failing, I’m sure you mean a B.”

“No…a B minus…” Jeno sat up in triumph.

“See! You’ve always been the smart one.” Jeno laid back down, and pulled Jaemin down with him, and turned them so they faced each other.

“That’s not it though, is it?” Jaemin looked away from Jeno’s eyes.

“It’s nothing,” Jaemin lied. He knew Jeno could see right through him.

“No, it’s not. Tell me!” Jaemin started to roll off the bed, but Jeno wrapped his arms around him to keep him still.

“So, are you gonna tell me?” Jeno asked carefully. He knew that Jaemin felt pretty upset, and didn’t want to pry.

“Well, I just…felt upset with myself.” Jeno eyed him.

“How?”

“When we reunited, memories of us just kept coming back, and I remembered something that I’d promised you before I left. I’d promised not to forget you, and, I broke it. When I moved away, I’d gotten so swept up that I’d forgotten most of my old home. And people that I loved.” Jaemin looked away again as his voice broke.

“I felt so horrible when I met you again. I didn’t ever mean to forget you.” Jeno gently turned Jaemin’s face to look at him.

“Don’t feel bad, I didn’t expect you to remember me the whole way. I’m here with you now, and you’re here with me. I think that’s all that matters.” Jaemin hesitantly nodded, and hugged Jeno.

“M’ sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be. We’re still best friends, okay?” Jeno pulled away to kiss Jaemin on the forehead.

“Now, since you stayed up so late, go to sleep.” Jaemin nodded, and buried his face into Jeno’s chest, and within minutes, he fell asleep.

Jeno smiled fondly at Jaemin and yawned as well, and he fell asleep listening to Jaemin’s soft breaths.

* * *

 

“Hey, Jaemin! We’re- oh.” Renjun opened the door to a dark and quiet dorm, with Chenle, Donghyuck, Jisung, and Mark trailing behind him.

“Why is it so quiet?” Mark whispered while peering into the dorm.

“I don’t know. And, why are we whispering?” Chenle responded. But Renjun just sighed and flicked on the light.

“Hey, loser!” Silence. Slowly, the five shuffled carefully into the dorm, calling out Jaemin’s name, but not receiving any answer. Then, the five entered Jaemin’s room, and saw a lump under the covers in Jaemin’s bed.

“Ah, Renjun, he’s here. It’s okay,” Chenle called out while the others came over. Jisung looked at the bed skeptically.

“Chenle, unless Jaemin dyed his hair black in an hour, that is not Jaemin.” Chenle whipped his head around, and pulled the covers off. There they saw Jaemin curled up next to Jeno, with his face in Jeno’s chest. Meanwhile, Jeno had his arms around Jaemin holding him close.

“Maybe we should just…” Chenle began as the group started walking away, but then rustling came from the bed.

“Hullo?” Jeno opened his eyes sleepily, carefully sitting up making sure not to wake Jaemin.

“Oh, hi guys.” Everyone turned around, eyes wide. Donghyuck spoke first.

“Hello, what are you doing here?”

“Where am I…oh.” Jeno looked around, and blushed when he recognized where he was.

“So, why are you here? In my dorm?” Renjun asked.

“Well, after I left, I got bored so I went over here to hang out with Jaemin. And then we fell asleep.” Jisung raised his eyebrow.

“Uh huh, and why is he wearing your hoodie then?”

“I woke up to him squeezing me to death, and he felt cold so I gave him my hoodie.” At that, Jaemin pulled Jeno back down.

“Ah hah, my bad guys. Let me just wake him up.” Jeno’s voice came out muffled.

“Jaemin-ah. Wake up.” They could all hear a sigh, then a loud groan.

“No.” Jaemin’s voice was raspy and filled with tiredness.

“Come on, it’s been an hour.”

Jaemin whined, “Fine, only if you give me a kiss.” Jisung snickered quietly, the whole entire group could hear Jeno blush. But soon, they stopped laughing as they heard a huge wet sound, cueing a scream from Jaemin.

“Lee Jeno! I said kiss, not lick. Fuckin’ disgusting.” Jaemin grumbled as he sat up, realizing he and Jeno weren’t alone.

“Oh, uh, hi. W-when did you get here?” The group collectively sighed.

“Half an hour ago. We came just to remind you guys that you both have class in ten minutes.” Renjun said matter-of-factly.

Jeno and Jaemin’s eyes widened as they turned to each other and whispered, “Oh, shit.”

They both crashed out of the bed, and scrambled to get their stuff while the five just watched.

“Jeno, here’s your hoodie,” Jaemin called out.

“Keep it. Just give it to me later,” Jeno called out from the other side of the room.

“I won’t see you later!” Jaemin yelled back while packing his stuff.

“I’ll pick you up after class to get dinner. Here, catch!” Jeno threw a water bottle towards Jaemin while he grabbed his bag and put on his shoes.

“Okay, thanks. I’ll pay, let’s go.” Jaemin grabbed his wallet and backpack, then lacing his shoes. Finally, he stood up, walking out the door to catch up to Jeno.

“Bye guys, see you later!” Jaemin called out behind his back, as the two walked out the door.

The five glanced at each other.

“So, are we just going to ignore all of that?” Mark hesitantly spoke.

“No. I’m tired of this.” Renjun slammed his fist on the table while he and Donghyuck shared a look.  Donghyuck nodded.

“It’s go time.” Donghyuck said to the group.

“For what?” Jisung questioned.

“Time for Operation Nomin.” Renjun and Donghyuck high-fived while the other boys looked on at them with a mixture of fear and confusion on their faces. Mark meekly spoke up.

“What’s Nomin?” Renjun and Donghyuck turned to look at him, and then at each other.

“Oh, do we have an explanation.” The two looked at each other and smiled devilishly. It was gonna be fun.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah school is kicking my butt but whatever im determined to finish this  
> anyways I hope you enjoyed


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Or! If the restaurant isn’t an option, I’ll be a stripper! I mean I can dance, so why not? You’d support me, right Jeno?”  
> “Yup. For sure, I’d make it rain on you all day, babe.” Jeno said with a straight face, but obviously not for long. They both burst out laughing and went back to eating their food.

Jeno walked over to the next department’s building, standing outside of Jaemin’s class, waiting for him to come out.

_jenojam: is class almost over yet? Im kinda cold_

_nana: oh no! don’t be cold, I’ll be out in ten minutes._ (ꈍ ꒳ ꈍ✿)

Jeno smiled at the text, and then tucked his phone away. Jaemin would be out soon.

Shortly after that, Jeno heard the door open and felt someone crash into him. It was most likely Jaemin. Jeno looked down to see the familiar bright pink hair.

“Hey, Jeno! Thanks for picking me up and taking me to dinner.” Jaemin smiled at Jeno.

“No problem, Jaemin. Where do you wanna go for dinner?” Jaemin shrugged.

“Where ever you want to go. Here’s your hoodie by the way.” Jaemin started to take off the hoodie, but Jeno stopped him.

“Keep it. You look good in it anyway.” Jeno smirked while a slight pink tinted Jaemin’s cheeks.

“O-okay. Let’s go.” Jaemin pulled Jeno out to his car.

“So, have you decided where we’re gonna go?”

“Yeah, probably just going to go to this new restaurant or something.”

“Sure.” Jaemin agreed, and went on his phone for the rest of the ride.

“Hey, we’re here,” Jeno told Jaemin as he opened the car door. Then he walked over to open Jaemin’s door. Jaemin got out of the car, and smiled at Jeno as a thanks. Jeno grinned back at him, and Jaemin’s heart seemed to skip a beat.

Together, they walked into the establishment and grabbed a booth.

“This is much nicer than I thought it would be. We might be a little underdressed,” Jeno scratched the back of his head sheepishly as Jaemin snorted.

“No way. Look at everyone around us! They’re dressed casually too. If anything, it’s like an upgraded McDonalds.” Jeno smiled and shook his head as he read the menu and Jaemin did too. They browsed for a few minutes before they settled and called over a waiter.

As soon as the waiter walked away, Jeno spoke up.

“Dude, we’re definitely in the wrong place or something. Did you see those prices?”

Jaemin groaned. “I know. My poor wallet.” They both burst out laughing and kept talking about their day.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Renjun and Donghyuck just wanted a break. Taking care of Chenle and Jisung was hard without Mark. So they both did the reasonable thing and abandoned their two friends and decided to go get food.

“Yo, what do you think about going to that new restaurant that just opened?”

Renjun shrugged. “I don’t care. I’m tired and I just need something to eat.” Donghyuck nodded and grabbed his coat.

“Who’s paying?”

“Split?”

“Fine.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes and grabbed his wallet.

“Alright, let’s go.”

* * *

 

“Hyuck, I think we’re a bit underdressed.”

“Pshhh, no way. Besides, we’re two fabulous men. Our personality makes up for it.” Donghyuck flipped his nonexistent hair over his shoulder while Renjun stifled a giggle.

“Sure.” So they sat down and picked up a menu, discussing what to get, when they heard a familiar voice.

“You know what? I’m dropping out of college. I’ve decided that maybe working in a restaurant isn’t all that bad.”

“Jaemin, no.”

Renjun turned to Donghyuck. “You heard that, right?”

Donghyuck nodded. “Let’s order-”

“Sh.” Renjun beckoned Donghyuck over to listen and observe. Jeno and Jaemin were sitting a few booths away from them, and if they really bent over, they could get a good look at them.

“Or! If the restaurant isn’t an option, I’ll be a stripper! I mean I can dance, so why not? You’d support me, right Jeno?”

“Yup. For sure, I’d make it rain on you all day, babe.” Jeno said with a straight face, but obviously not for long. They both burst out laughing and went back to eating their food.

Donghyuck went back to his seat across from Renjun.

“It’s that bad, huh?”

“Yeah. We need to do something.”

“But can we do it after we eat this? I’m really hungry,” Donghyuck whined, as Renjun agreed. Jeno and Jaemin could wait.

Renjun and Donghyuck slammed the door open to Donghyuck’s dorm, seeing Chenle and Jisung playing uno, and Mark laying on the couch.

“Jisung, Chenle? When did you get here?”

“Well, after you left us in Renjun’s dorm, we got bored after a while, so we went over to you and Mark’s room.”

“Whatever. But, we have information. While we went out to get something to eat, we saw Jeno and Jaemin in the same place. They are so whipped for each other, it’s painful to watch.”

Mark stared at them. “And you care because?”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “Because, Mark, you know how painful it is to pine over someone for a while, right?”

Mark’s ears turned red. “Carry on.”

Donghyuck smiled in victory. “Idiots, gather round. It’s time to discuss a plan to get them together.”

“I’m just gonna stay here and listen. If something bad happens, it won’t be my fault.” Mark called from over the couch, while Chenle and Jisung smiled devilishly.

“I’ll give you cuddles later.”

“Fine.” Mark grumbled as Donghyuck grinned.

Together, the five of them came up with the ultimate plan to get Jeno and Jaemin together.

Now all they had to do was do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay another chapter, i can't believe i haven't given up yet  
> also this is a bit of a short chapter so my bad


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We don’t really look like a couple, do we?”
> 
> Jaemin deadpanned. “We’re holding hands,”
> 
> Jeno looked down. They were.

“So, remind me why I agreed to this again?” Mark hissed.

“Because, you wanted cuddles from me. So, now hurry up and pretend to trip and accidently push Jaemin onto Jeno.” Donghyuck retorted. Mark sighed, and reluctantly walked behind Jaemin while he was talking to Jeno. He looked up to the sky and did a cross upon his shoulders, and did the deed.

“Oh no, oops!” Mark pretended to trip over his feet, and shoved Jaemin.

Jaemin yelped, while Jeno struggled to catch him. Eventually, Jaemin ended up safely (thank god, Taeyong would have their necks if something happened) in Jeno’s arms. Not without casualties of course, the two were a blushing and stuttering mess, leaving Renjun and Donghyuck to high-five.

Mark muttered an apology, and pinched the bridge of his nose while heading back to the group.

“Hyuck, I hope you’re happy,”

Donghyuck hummed in approval. “Junnie, we’ve done our job. Thanks, Canada.”

Mark rolled his eyes at the nickname. “See you later, guys. I’m going to go question my life decisions.”

Renjun and Donghyuck waved as he walked off.

“Hyuck, we’re geniuses! Thanks to our experience in the love field of course, this wouldn’t been possible. This is one step closer to getting them a happy ending.” Renjun stated.

“Renjun, what love experience? I mean, I have Mark, but as far as I know, you have no love life.” Donghyuck raised an eyebrow.

“Hey! I have someone. You just don’t know him.” Renjun pouted.

“Uh huh, is it Moomin?” Donghyuck teased.

“No…He’s over in China!”

 Sure, Injun. Hey! Look over there.” Renjun turned his head to Jeno and Jaemin’s direction.

There, they could see Jeno fixing Jaemin’s hair while Jaemin cracked jokes and kept making Jeno laugh.

“Ew, disgusting,” Renjun crinkled his nose.

“Yeah, but it’s progress.”

“Not really. They act like a married couple anyway.”

Renjun could only nod in agreement.

* * *

 

“So, uh, why are we here?” Jisung and Chenle looked questioningly at Renjun and Donghyuck.

“It’s simple. All you need to do is ask Jaemin and Jeno out to ice cream, and then both of you will ditch at the last second. You guys really aren’t doing anything,” Renjun explained.

“Why can’t you guys do it?”

“Well, you see, Jaemin and Jeno don’t like us. We may be best friends, but they would murder us in our sleep if they could,” Donghyuck said with fake sadness.

“Bold of you to assume they wouldn’t murder us any other time,” Renjun shot back.

“Point taken. Anyways, Jeno and Jaemin like you guys much more. Sure, you guys may act like the devil at times, but at least you’re adorable.”

Jisung looked at Chenle. “What’s in it for us?”

“Uh, I dunno, I’ll treat you guys to whatever you want after this, I guess.”

Big mistake. Chenle and Jisung grinned, and agreed. They walked out of the room, pulling out their phones to text Jeno and Jaemin.

“Hyuck, why-”

“It was the only other choice,”

“You realize you’re going to be broke soon,”

“And that’s why I have you. After all, we decided to do this together. Too late to back out, my dear Junnie,” Donghyuck smirked as Renjun groaned.

* * *

 

“It’s done,”

Renjun and Donghyuck looked up from their phones to see Jisung standing with Chenle, phone in hand.

“We just asked them to hang out,”

“Good job! I’m very proud,” Donghyuck wiped a fake tear from his eye, while Renjun pumped his fist in the air.

“One step closer,” Renjun whispered to himself.

“But, how is this going to do anything? After all, this plan is kinda dumb. All you’re doing is making them hang out, and they do that already.” Chenle asked.

“It’s a bit of a slow process. We’re trying to get them to spend as much time as they can, and have the most contact. It might be slow now, but at least they’ll get to together.” Donghyuck replied. Renjun tapped a finger on his chin thoughtfully.

“In hindsight, it may not be that good. But it’ll work, don’t worry kids.”

Jisung scrunched his nose. “Okay, if you say so. C’mon Chenle, let’s go eat.”

Chenle waved to Renjun and Donghyuck, and took Jisung’s hand. “Bye guys! Good luck! Let’s go, Jisung.”

As soon as they left, Renjun and Donghyuck turned to each other.

“They’re next,”

Donghyuck nodded.

“Mhm. Indeed.”

* * *

 

“Jenooo, Chenle cancelled. He forgot he had homework.” Jaemin whined.

“Huh, that’s weird, Jisung did too. Said there was some sort of club meeting for a club he wanted to join.”

Jaemin furrowed his brow in thought. “Maybe they cancelled to go on a date.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea.”

“My children, they’re growing,” Jaemin started to fake weep as Jeno slapped his shoulder playfully.

“Do you still wanna get ice cream though?”

“Sure. Why not?” Jaemin shrugged, and hauled himself off Jeno’s bed.

“Okay, let’s go.” Jeno nodded and they walked out the door. 

* * *

 

“What flavor do you want?”

“I guess just get me what you’re getting.” Jaemin shrugged.

“Okay. Two rainbow sherbets, please.”

“Ew, no nevermind. I’ll have a mint chocolate chip, thank you.” The cashier smiled and nodded.

She then went over and scooped their ice cream.

“That’ll be 5.95.” Jeno reached out for his wallet, and at the same time Jaemin did too.

“I’ll pay. It’s fine.”

Jaemin gritted his teeth. “No, I will.”

“I said, I’ll pay.” They had a silent battle before Jaemin finally gave in, and Jeno slapped the money on the counter in victory.

“HAH! You’re welcome,” Jeno said with a smug smile, and Jaemin looked down and moped.

“Thank you, have a nice day. You guys are a cute couple by the way,” The girl handed them their ice cream.

Jeno and Jaemin walked away with a blush, not bothering to protest.

“We don’t really look like a couple, do we?”

Jaemin deadpanned. “We’re holding hands,”

Jeno looked down. They were.

“Oh, well, in that case, yes we do.” Jeno continued to lick his ice cream.

“Let’s go walk. Maybe the park?” Jaemin suggested.

“Sure,” They got up, and walked out.

* * *

 

A while later, the sun started setting, while Jeno and Jaemin were just sitting under a tree gazing at it.

“Wow, it’s so pretty.” Jaemin stared at the pink and orange hues.

“It really is,” Jeno stared at Jaemin. He couldn’t take his eyes off him, the pinkish tint of the sky made Jaemin’s face have an angelic glow, and somehow made him even prettier.

“Jeno, you’re looking at me,” Jaemin teased.

“I know.” Jeno replied rather nonchalantly.

Jaemin flushed.

“I see,”

They kept sitting there, in a comfortable silence. Jeno finally turned his head away from Jaemin, looking at the sunset,

“Still not as pretty,” Jeno muttered under his breath.

Jaemin could feel his face heating up, and felt something flutter in his stomach. Maybe it was the ice cream.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah this took a while, and a bit of word vomit. but do enjoy the fluff before shit goes down. bye and thanks for reading <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm not his world anymore."

“You guys, this isn’t working out,” Donghyuck whined from Renjun’s lap. Mark stared at him with pity.

“It’s just getting worse, they keep pining for each other but they are the only people that don’t know they like each other. It’s been an agonizing couple of months.”

Donghyuck moped while Renjun patted his head comfortingly. “It’s okay, Hyuck. We’re all suffering together.

“Well, you could always just tell one to confess. It’s obvious they like each other, one of them just needs a push,” Jisung spoke up from the kitchen, where he was currently looting the fridge with Chenle.

Donghyuck thought for a moment. “That’s actually not a bad idea, Sung. Who’s gonna take one for the team and smack some sense into Jaemin?”

No one spoke up, until Renjun finally caved.  

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

Renjun suddenly jumped up, forgetting Donghyuck’s head was on his lap, leaving him to bump his head.

“You suck. But good luck!” Donghyuck hissed in pain.

“Mark, come here. I’m in pain and I want cuddles.”

Renjun rolled his eyes, and walked over to his and Jaemin’s room. He saw Jaemin with his head buried in a book, probably trying to study for a test.

“Jaemin. Hey!”

Jaemin looked up. “Oh, hi, Renjun! I thought you were with everyone else?”

“Er, I need to talk to you about something.”

Renjun took the book out of Jaemin’s hand and sat next to him.

“Do you like Jeno?”

Jaemin immediately flushed at the question. “N-no, I only think he’s my best friend.”

“Mhm, if he was your best friend, you wouldn’t look like a tomato. So, spill.”

Renjun stared expectantly at Jaemin, waiting for Jaemin to admit it, while Jaemin just fiddled with his fingers.

“So, maybe a little bit,” Jaemin winced.

“Only?”

“Okay, so maybe a lot. But what’s your point?”

Jaemin smiled sheepishly, and scratched the back of his head.

“Ha! I knew it!” Renjun shrieked, making Jaemin jump in surprise.

“Go for it Jaemin. Ask him out. I think he likes you too.”

Jaemin flopped onto the bed, covering his face in embarrassment.

“What if he doesn’t? I will ruin my friendship with him. I can’t lose him.”

Renjun scoffed. “How do you not see it? You’re blind. He looks at you like you’re his world. Come on, Jaemin.”

Jaemin sat up. “I’m scared, though.”

“Of what?”

“Him rejecting me.”

“Why would he? If he did, I don’t think he would ever let you go anyways.”

Jaemin hesitated for a second, seeming to debate whether he should really do it. “Fine. I’ll do it. But prepare ice cream if I get my heartbroken.”

Renjun chuckled and ruffled Jaemin’s hair. “Okay, drama queen. Go get your man.” 

* * *

 

_Nana: hey jenooooo_

_Jenojam: hi nana. What’s up?_

_Nana: I have something to tell you~_

_Jenojam: me too! Can I go first? ^^_

_Nana: sure_

_Jenojaem: I have a boyfriend!_

* * *

Renjun sat on the couch with Donghyuck in anticipation.

“Jun, loosen up. They’ll be together now!” Donghyuck shook him.

Renjun bit his lip. “I don’t know, Hyuck. I have a really bad feeling. I don’t feel good all of a sudden.”

He felt a sense of sickness, and somehow, he knew it had to do with Jaemin. All of a sudden, he heard a knock at the door. He jumped up and rushed to answer it.

“Jaemin, how’d it-”

When he opened the door, he saw a disheveled Jaemin with tears streaming down his face. Renjun gasped.

“Nana? What happened?”

Jaemin held up his phone with a shaking hand, and his voice cracked when he spoke. “I-I’m not h-his world anymore.”

Renjun read the text messages, and he pulled Jaemin inside into a hug.

“Jaem?”

Renjun heard Donghyuck speak, and he could hear the shock in his voice. The room was silent, except with the sound of Jaemin weeping. Soon, everyone came to their senses and went to hug Jaemin, even Jisung.

“Ah, Jaemin. I’m going to beat that punk up.”

“It’s not worth being sad, Jaemin!”

“Whatever. Half the college population is head over heels for you.”

Jaemin started to calm down at his friends’ comforting words.

“Thanks, guys. But I really still feel like trash.”

Renjun pulled away to look at Donghyuck, who had an expression of guilt on his face. Renjun pulled Donghyuck aside.

“Damn, Junnie. I really thought he liked him.”

“Me too. There’s no reason why he wouldn’t, unless there’s some other reason. I refuse to accept anything else.”

Donghyuck looked over in Jaemin’s direction with a sad face. “I feel like it’s our fault.”

“I kinda think it is. But at the same time, I know something is up with Jeno. I just know.”

The other boy hesitated. “Maybe so. But for now, it’s kind of our fault, so let’s just try and comfort him as best we can.”

Renjun nodded solemnly. “Alright.”

The two boys walked back over to their sobbing friend and continued to try and comfort him. But part of Renjun knew Jaemin was broken no matter what they were going to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops my bad guys the next chapter is gonna be like this too but I SWEAR it'll end up happy  
> also I'm sorry for the short update


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I love you so much, Jaemin. And I always have. And I know I’ll never be able to change that.”

“Renjun, Jeno says he wants us to meet his…boyfriend.”

Renjun scowled. “Oh hell no, Jaemin. Are you stupid? You’re just going to get sadder. It’s only been three days.”

Jaemin sighed. “I know, but Jeno might get suspicious. I haven’t talked with him for said three days.”

“I don’t know, Jaem,” Renjun hesitated.

“I promise I’ll be fine.”

“Still…”

Jaemin put a reassuring hand on Renjun’s shoulder. “It’s alright. Jeno is still my best friend no matter what.”

“Fine. I warned you.” 

* * *

 

“So Jeno rejected you for THIS bitch?”

Renjun angrily whispered to Jaemin. Jaemin slapped him in retaliation.

“At least save the trash talking for later,”

“No! This guy is an asshole! I can’t believe-“

Jaemin stomped on Renjun’s foot, effectively shutting him up. He smiled at Jeno’s boyfriend, Taejoon or whatever, and took a sip of his juice.

“Thank you for meeting Taejoon! I’m glad you like him guys,”

Jeno smiled at Taejoon, and Jaemin felt his heart clench. Apparently, it showed on the outside, because Renjun pulled him out of the booth.

“It was amazing hanging out with you guys, I hope we can do this again. Jaemin and I have a deadline to meet though, so we’ll be going.”

Taejoon wrinkled his nose, and reluctantly waved.

“Bye, guys!”

* * *

 

“That was a fucking disaster.”

Jaemin flopped onto his bed. “No kidding.”

“I hate Taejoon. That guy can die in a hole. He was so mean to you, me, and Jeno! Why the heck would Jeno do that? He’s not even that cute!”

Jaemin groaned, and Renjun’s tone softened.

“But in all seriousness, I’m really sorry Jaemin. I didn’t think it’d turn out like that.”

“Me neither. I thought he had a thing for me too. So, were all of those things for show?”

Renjun sat down on Jaemin’s bed. “I don’t think so. Jeno is a good guy, I don’t understand why he’d do that. I’m confused too. I can’t help but think Jeno doesn’t really like him.”

“No way. Anyways, you can go do whatever. I’ll just wallow in my misery here in my little corner.”

“I don’t think you’re stable enough to be left alone, you might end up on the roof or something,”  
 Renjun joked.

“So be it.”

Renjun sighed and laid down next to Jaemin.

“Just don’t worry about it. They’ll break up eventually.”

* * *

 

“I don’t like your friend.”

Jeno frowned. “Why?”

“He’s annoying.”

“Taejoon, you just met him. He’s the most amazing person I know,”

Taejoon scoffed. “I’m your boyfriend, not him. Act like it.”

“Sorry. But, he’s my best friend, and you need to accept that.”

“Fine. I don’t care.”

Taejoon walked out, and Jeno sat on his bed, frustrated.

“Why the fuck am I doing this?”

* * *

 

“Jaemin.”

“Oh, hi! How are you, Taejoon?”

“I’m well. I want to talk to you.”

Jaemin cocked his head in confusion. “Sure?”

“Stop hanging out with my boyfriend.”

“Um, you mean my best friend since kindergarten? Me? Stop hanging out with him?”

Taejoon nodded. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like you. I don’t like your friends. And frankly, I don’t want you around him.”

Jaemin’s confused expression turned into one of anger.

“Don’t tell me what to do. He’s my best friend, and you can’t do anything about it.”

Taejoon sent him a face of disgust.

“Well, fuck you too. Leave, Taejoon, or I’ll kick you out of this library myself.”

“Hm. Be that way. Your decision.”

Taejoon promptly left, and Jaemin sat down on one of the tables to cry.

* * *

 Jeno sat in his room, staring at the ceiling with a horrible feeling settling in his stomach. Why was he dating Taejoon? He wasn’t even nice.

“What am I doing?”

Jeno murmured in exasperation.

Truth is, he didn’t feel anything for Taejoon.

But, he did feel something for Jaemin. And he didn’t really know what to think about that.

Jeno rubbed his forehead in anger and something that he couldn’t really describe.

He knew Taejoon was keeping him away from Jaemin, and he felt kind of okay with that.

So maybe, Jeno was just angry at himself.

But why was he feeling like this? Jeno felt like it was just an endless circle of asking himself that question, and then trying to answer it; he always came back to the same question.

He had a small inkling to what it could be.

But it couldn’t _possibly_ be that he was in love with Jaemin.

* * *

 

Over the next few months, life seemed to turn into hell for Jaemin. Whenever Jaemin would try to hang out with Jeno, he’d be mysteriously busy, or out with Taejoon. He’d only see Jeno in the middle of campus, rushing to his next class, or with Taejoon. Gradually, Jaemin stopped seeing him completely, and it was like he lost him again.

However, today, he was at a get together for the fine arts majors. He finally saw Jeno after weeks, and gave him a big hug.

“I missed you, Jeno.”

Jeno blushed and scratched the back of his neck.

“Sorry for disappearing on you. I was just trying to…figure some things out.”

Of course, at that moment, Taejoon had to walk in.

“I thought I told you to stay away.”

Jaemin kept his cool. “I thought I told you to not tell me what to do.”

“Obviously, we didn’t listen to that.”

“Clearly.”

Jeno looked awkward.

“Why don’t you run along, and maybe go play with someone else? And not my boyfriend?”

Jaemin was seething with anger. “No thank you.”

“Oh, don’t play coy. I’ve seen you running around with boys all around campus. Go with them, you little slut.”

Jaemin breathed in calmly. His friends had come over after hearing their argument, and were watching him carefully like he was a ticking bomb.

He put his wine glass down slowly, and promptly punched Taejoon in the nose.

His friends all stared in shock as Jaemin smiled triumphantly and Taejoon cussed. Jeno looked furious, but Jaemin didn’t give a shit. His friends silently cheered, but Jeno snapped him out of his reverie and pulled him into a room.

“Jaemin, what the hell were you thinking?”

“Jeno do you know what he even said? He called me a slut!”

“Yeah, I know, he shouldn’t have said that. I admit it.”

 Jaemin scoffed. “It’s like you don’t even fucking care.”

“Jaemin, shut the fuck up. You don’t know shit.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I don’t know anything, because I haven’t seen you in a month. Do you know how upset I was? I was worried that something was wrong with you. I thought you didn’t care about me anymore. I waited for you to talk to me, and I accepted that you didn’t. It felt like I was losing you again. I was always waiting for you, I was always there for you, but I got nothing. What the fuck is going on Jeno?” Jaemin’s voice wavered as tears started to form.

“Jaemin, I know that. I just- I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.”

“Oh my god. You’re insufferable. What is so bad that you can’t tell me? We promised to always be there for each other, why can’t you just tell me?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you. Jaemin, if I told you, you’d-“

“Jeno, you know what? I’m fucking tired of it. Fine,” Jaemin hesitated.

“I-I should’ve just forgotten you.” Jaemin’s voice broke.

Jeno froze, and immediately Jaemin knew he messed up.

“Wait, Jeno. I-“ Jeno started to storm off, and Jaemin was desperate to keep him there.

“You just stopped caring about me, okay? What else was I-“ he began.

“Jaemin, stop right there. You know damn well I care about you. If only you knew, all those years you moved away, I realized something. I did everything I could to look for you, and I always thought about you. During these past few months with Taejoon, he knew something was off. He knew I was hung on something, and tried to keep we away from that thing. And you know what that thing is? You, Jaemin. You.” Jaemin stood there quietly, about to speak up, but Jeno kept talking.

“I never thought about how much you really meant to me once you left. I kept thinking about you, but I only put it down as missing you like any friend would. But once I found you again, I finally knew. I love you so much, Jaemin. And I always have. And I know I’ll never be able to change that.”

Jeno finally took a breath, and stared at Jaemin sadly, before he left the room, and closed the door behind him, leaving Jaemin alone. Jaemin didn’t know how, but somehow, he ended up on his knees, sobbing, and wishing Jeno would come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my dudes. I'm so sorry i haven't updated this in a while. lo siento  
> anyways, the cOnfliCt is over, and it's ending soon. I hope it doesn't let you down.  
> thanks for reading <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Then what are you doing? Why are you apologizing to that asshole, and not your best friend? Jeno, I love you. I really do, but you’re kind of oblivious to so many things. Even to what you’re feeling.”

“Mr. Lee. You done fucked up.”

Jeno turned around to see a mildly annoyed Donghyuck walking towards him.

“Hey, I’m not in the mood right now. I have to apologize to Taejoon-“

“You stop right there. Apologize to Taejoon?”

“Yeah. He’ll get mad at me, and-“

“I can’t believe you right now. You’re choosing Taejoon over Jaemin? And yes, I know what happened. Jaemin hasn’t left his room for three days.”

Jeno rubbed his temples. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t say sorry to me. I don’t need it, but Jaemin does.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong, he should be apologizing to me!”

Donghyuck stared at him in disbelief. “What are you, twelve? He may have said something wrong, but have you ever thought about what you’ve been doing for the past four months?”

“I have…”

“Then what are you doing? Why are you apologizing to that asshole, and not your best friend? Jeno, I love you. I really do, but you’re kind of oblivious to so many things. Even to what you’re feeling.”

Jeno sat down, and buried his face in his hands. “I’m horrible.”

“No kidding.”

“What am I gonna do?”

Donghyuck smiled slightly, and sat down next to him. “First, you’re gonna break up with Taejoon. Then you’re gonna tell me where he is. And I think you know what to do after that.”

“Why do you need to know where Taejoon is?”

“Reasons. Now, go.”

Donghyuck helped Jeno up, and squeezed his hand. Jeno sent him a grateful look, and started walking out of the library.

“Wait, Hyuck. How do you know I love-“

“I have my ways.” Donghyuck grinned, with a twinkle in his eyes, and Jeno decided not to question it. 

* * *

 

Jeno nervously walked up to Taejoon’s dorm room, and knocked on the door.

“Hm? Hi, Jeno.”

Jeno fiddled with his fingers. “I need to talk to you.”

Taejoon raised his eyebrows, and opened the door further so Jeno could come in.

“What’s wrong?”

“Er…I…Well, we need to break up.”

Taejoon whipped his head to face Jeno.

“What?”

“I said, we need to break up.”

Taejoon’s face contorted into one of anger. “Why? I don’t understand.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s not working out. I have feelings for someone else.”

“It’s Jaemin, isn’t it?”

Jeno hesitated. “I-yeah.”

“That doesn’t make sense, we spent so much time together…I made sure that you wouldn’t ever like someone else…I don’t know what went wrong.”

Jeno’s eyes narrowed. “That was your plan?”

“It was working, Jeno.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Then why…”

“I didn’t accept it. I didn’t accept that I was in love with my best friend, and I thought getting into a relationship with someone else would make it go away. I didn’t even feel anything for you, you were just nice to me at first. I thought it would work.”

Taejoon sighed. “It obviously didn’t.”

“And, let’s not stay friends.”

“Why not?”

“You called Jaemin a slut. You disrespected my friends. You disrespected me.”

Taejoon rolled his eyes. “Sure. That was all you. Your loss.”

“I’d like to make this conversation stay civil. Good bye, Taejoon.”

“Good bye-“

Jeno walked out, and closed the door before Taejoon could answer.

He felt a sense of relief after walking out of the complex, but also felt guilt. He had no doubt that he probably played with Taejoon’s feelings. He felt like a piece of trash. But at the same time, he felt Taejoon deserved it. Taejoon was probably manipulating him, and he let it happen.

To say Jeno was conflicted was an understatement.

_Hyuck: sooooo where is Taejoon_

_Jenojam: ohhh yea I still need to tell you where he is_

_Hyuck: where is he_

_Jenojam: his dorm. Building C, floor 5, room 114_

_Hyuck: okay thanks_

_Hyuck: go get ur boy_

Jeno almost slapped Donghyuck, but then he realized he was alone.

_“I’m going crazy. But, here goes nothing.”_

* * *

 

“Jaemin, if you don’t stop crying right now, I’m going to leave you.”

Jaemin bawled even harder. “Jun, don’t leave me too! I’m tired of people leaving me. Am I that horrible? I probably am.”

“No, Jaemin. That’s not what I meant.”

Renjun was about to get another box of tissues for Jaemin, but his phone pinged.

_Hyuck: hey idiot_

_Hyuck: we know where taejoon is_

_Injun: wait rly_

_Hyuck: meet me and the gang at building c_

_Injun: yesssss we boutta fuck him up_

_Injun: and by that, I mean spray paint a dick on his door_

_Hyuck: chaotic good_

_Hyuck: hurry up tho_

Renjun fist pumped, and pocketed his phone.

“Nana, I gotta go meet Hyuck somewhere for school. I’ll be back really soon.”

Jaemin lifted his head up from his pillow. “Can you get me ice cream?”

“Sure. Mint choco?”

“Yes, please. Love you.”

“Love you too. Get some sleep.”

“Okay. Bye.”

Renjun walked out of the door, and did a dance of celebration outside of his door.

_Injun: jeno, this is your chance. I’m leaving the dorm to meet up with hyuck_

_Jenojam: why_

_Injun: reasons_

_Injun: anyway, he really wants mint chocolate chip ice cream so maybe get that._

_Jenojam: I know, I’m at the store_

_Injun: oh yea I forgot you guys were friends_

_Injun: I mean it’s not like you didn’t talk to him for months_

_Jenojam: you guys are never gonna let me live this down, are you_

_Injun: no_

_Injun: so might as well hurry up and go apologize_

_Jenojam: will do_

* * *

 

Jaemin was busy sobbing his eyes out when he heard a knock on the door.

“Jun? Did you forget your keys again?” He joked.

He got up and answered the door.

“Jaemin.”

He was met with an embarrassed Jeno holding a carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream, flowers, and chocolates.

“I wouldn’t let you in, but you’re holding all of my favorite things. Gimme gimme.”

Jeno smiled, and went inside.

Jaemin immediately started shoving chocolates in his mouth. “Why are you here?”

“To say sorry.”

Jaemin froze. “Hah, I’m fine. I don’t need it. You can go now.”

“No, Jaemin. I mean it. I’ve been a terrible friend these past few months, and just a terrible person in general.”

Jaemin swallowed, and waved him off. “It’s fine, I-“

“I know how you feel.”

Jaemin’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“I know you like me. Wait, please don’t run away.”

He pulled a bright red Jaemin back in front of him.

“Please listen to me. Everything I said back there in the room, I meant it. Well, I mean, in a different context of course.”

Jaemin hid his face and groaned.

“Please don’t continue.”

“I’m going to continue.”

Jeno held Jaemin firmly in his arms, and all of a sudden felt an overwhelming sense of sadness.

“I-I’m so sorry.”

Jaemin quickly lifted up his head. “Are you crying?”

“No.”

Jeno immediately sniffled.

“Wait, if you cry, I cry. Stop that.”

Jeno didn’t bother even trying to stop the tears now. “Sorry. Jaemin, I’m such a horrible friend. I can’t even imagine what you felt. I understand if you don’t want to be friends anymore. I don’t blame you.”

Jaemin sighed, and wiggled his arms free out of Jeno’s embrace to wipe his tears.

“Shh. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not, Jaemin.”

Jaemin gently grabbed Jeno’s chin, and wiped the tears.

“Stop crying. It’s okay. I’m not upset.”

“I know you are.”

“And what about it?”

Jaemin paused. “I don’t love you any less.”

For a while, you could only hear Jeno’s hiccups, and Jaemin’s comforting words. Jeno grasped his waist impossibly tighter, and buried his face into Jaemin’s shoulder.

When he pulled away, he saw Jaemin staring lovingly at him in his snot and red-nosed glory.

“If you’re going to kiss me, please wipe your nose first.”

Jeno scrambled to wipe his nose on his sleeve, and scooped Jaemin up into his arms to kiss him.

“Jeno, I don’t want to ruin the moment but,” Jaemin spoke against Jeno’s lips, “the ice cream is going to melt. And I really wanted it.”

“Later. I want to kiss you right now.”

Jaemin giggled, and leaned into another kiss.  He sighed with content, and Jeno dropped both of them onto the bed.

The ice cream melted.

* * *

 

Bonus:

“You guys know if we get caught, we are going to be in so much trouble?” Jisung spoke up from behind his friends.

“Don’t worry, Sungie. Mark’s uncle is the dean of the school. We’ll be fine.”

Donghyuck quickly stuffed the spray paint into his back pack.

“Alright, gang. We gotta go quick.”

The hallways of floor five were thankfully empty, and the five students made their way to room 114.

“So, who’s going first?”

Renjun grinned wickedly, and sprayed a giant penis on Taejoon’s door.

“Nice. Everyone, dig in!”

When they were all finished, the door was covered in swear words, obscene pictures, and the cherry on top, a big ‘Fuck You’ in bold, red paint. Quickly, they stuffed the paint back inside of the backpack, and threw the cans away. They made sure to cover up the cans of paint with the other pieces of trash in the dumpster.

“I think justice was served.”

Chenle laughed his famous laugh, and whooped in joy.

“Thank god. I hated his guts,”

“Markie dear, it’s okay to swear. We’re in college now.”

His friends laughed at his slowly reddening neck.

“Well, fuck you guys.”

“Love you too!”

The boys laughed, and sprinted out of the building as fast as they could. It was all worth waiting behind the dumpster for three hours when they heard an ear-splitting scream.

Legend has it, that the green penis is still on the door to this day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof sorry for reupload, i realized i messed smth up  
> but it's almost oVer, my friends. thank you for the support  
> I think i might update sometime next week, so stay tuned  
> thank you for reading <3


	8. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Not again. Why is it always this park?”

“I feel so old now.”

The six boys all turned to their friend Jaemin.

“You feel old? Come on, I graduated a year ago. What does that make me?”

“Ancient. Duh.” Jisung snickered.

“You’ll get there eventually, Jisung. Just two more years.”

Recently, Jeno, Jaemin, Renjun, and Donghyuck graduated college with a masters in fine arts, and they were all out celebrating.

“Don’t even remind me. I’m just not ready.”

“Worry not, my dear friend. Your torture will be over soon.”

Jisung sighed, and sat down next to Renjun and Chenle. “Anyways, changing the subject because I don’t like attention, isn’t your anniversary coming up soon?”

He gestured towards Jeno and Jaemin. They both blushed.

“I guess so.”

“What do you mean I guess so? It either is, or it isn’t.”

“Okay, it is. But, how do you remember every single time? We’ve been meaning to ask you guys, but we always forget.”

This time, it was the five boys’ turn to look embarrassed. “Well, we kind of have it marked on our calendar…No! Not because it’s your anniversary, but because that was when we took our legendary revenge on Taejoon.”

Jeno cringed. “So that’s why I got those messages! What did you guys even do?”

“Well, we couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t a felony, so we decided to vandalize him. I drew a giant penis and everything.”

Jaemin looked incredulously at Renjun. “You? You drew a _penis_? I’m shocked.”

“I’m not an angel. That’s pretty well known.”

“But still, it’s shocking.”

A silence fell over the group. “I can’t believe it’s been four years since that incident. Man, I can’t imagine myself ever ending up with Taejoon.”

“Me too.”

Donghyuck coughed. “Alright, lovebirds. You aren’t alone. Some of us are single, and don’t want to see that.”

He gestured towards Renjun, who immediately started turning red.

“So…about that.”

Everyone sat up, suddenly interested in the conversation.

“What?”

Renjun looked down at his shoes. “Well…I’ve kinda been lying to you guys…”

“God damn.”

“Not completely, though. So, you know how I told you every holiday break, I visit my family all the way back in China for three days? Not all of those days were for my family…”

Donghyuck shrieked. “OH! YOU TOLD ME YOU HAD SOMEONE BACK IN CHINA. IS IT HIM?????”

Renjun smiled timidly, and did jazz hands. “Surprise?”

“Holy. Shit.”

Jeno started laughing, and clapped Renjun on the back. “Wow, I didn’t expect that at all.”

Renjun pulled up a picture of them together. There was a taller boy who was masked lifting him up and spinning him around in front of the castle in Disneyland.

“I’m shook.” Chenle threw himself on Renjun.

“Chenle, for the last time. Stop speaking in slang!”

“Wig.”

Mark sighed in exasperation. “I give up. Congrats, Injun. What’s his name? When can we meet him?”

“Well, I’m not telling you the first one, because then you’ll find him on social media and harass him. Oh, and, he’s moving here next week! So, there’s your opportunity.”

Renjun saw Jeno’s smile falter, and gave him a look. Jeno waved it off.

“Hey, babe. Can you please go and get dinner? I’ll pay for it.”

Jaemin shrugged. “Sure. Where?”

“You pick. I’ll just give you enough money for everything.”

He pulled out fifty bucks, and handed it to Jaemin. “Thanks.”

Jaemin pecked him on the lips before heading out.

“Hey, why’d you make him leave?”

Jeno smiled sheepishly.

“So…I kinda need a little bit of help.”

* * *

 “I can’t believe Renjun was telling the truth!”

Donghyuck flailed his arms dramatically.

“It’s funny. We didn’t know, except you. Then Jun actually TOLD us, and then you reveal that you know who. But, you’re still surprised because, guess what? You didn’t believe him. Good job.”

Renjun snorted. “I can’t believe we’re friends. Poor Mark. Is this what he goes through every day?”

“Don’t drag me into this.” Mark didn’t spare them a glance.

“Anyways, he says he’s here. Oh! There he is.”

Renjun stood up, and waved to a boy walking towards them.

“Meet my boyfriend-“

“Yukhei?”

Jeno and Jaemin shot up from their seats, pointing dumbfoundedly at the boy. The boy also stood there, staring at them with a gaping jaw.

“Not again. Why is it always this park?” Donghyuck groaned.

Yukhei walked over to Jeno and Jaemin.

“Oh my gosh, Jeno? Jaemin?  I can’t believe it! You guys know Renjun?”

“Yeah, he’s our best friend. Dude. It’s been forever.”

Jeno and Jaemin walked up to Yukhei to do their three-way hand-shake.

“I missed you guys.”

“Jeno, I can’t believe it’s actually him.” Jaemin was bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly.

“Come here, you dummies.”

Yukhei opened his arms to hug them, and they tackled him without any hesitation.

When they finally settled down, Yukhei smiled sheepishly at Renjun, and pecked him on the cheek.

“Sorry. A little reunion was needed.”

“Anyways, before you guys so rudely interrupted me, this is my boyfriend Yukhei. Or Xuxi. Or Lucas. Take your pick.”

Yukhei smiled widely, and waved. “Hi!”

Chenle grinned. “You’re Chinese, right?”

“Yes. Are you Chinese too?”

Chenle nodded excitedly and high-fived Yukhei.

“Now, the real question is, how do you know Jeno and Jaemin?”

“He was our friend in way back elementary. You guys already know how it was the two of us, but Yukhei was our third guy. We met him a year after we met each other. All three of us were a package deal. Whenever we had fights, we’d take turns going to Xuxi. Then, he’d pick us up in his giant arms and squeeze us until we apologized to each other.”

Jeno nodded. “When Jaemin left, I only had him. We cried together the first day without Jaemin. But then he moved to China.”

“That’s how I met Renjun. We became friends really fast, but then he moved to Korea a year later.” Lucas finished.

“Which leads into how we started dating. We talked online, and then he told me he liked me. We held a long-distance relationship, and during holidays we’d take turns visiting each other. But he surprised me last year when he told me after we graduated, he’d move here. And here we are.”

Yukhei smiled widely at Renjun, who smiled back at him.

“Wow. Okay, that’s really cute.”

Donghyuck was squealing. “Guys. You know what this means.  We can go on _quadruple_ dates.”

Yukhei tilted his head in confusion. “You guys are all dating?”

“Yeah. Me and Mark, Chenle and Jisung, and Jeno and Jaemin.” Donghyuck gestured around the table.

Slowly, Yukhei started laughing. “I knew it! I knew you guys would end up together one day. I mean, who marries their best friend?”

“We’re not married, it was a joke, Xuxi.”

“Yet.”

Jaemin smacked Jeno. “Shut up.”

“How long?”

“Four years.”

Yukhei whistled. “I missed a lot.”

Renjun nodded. “What a small world, huh?”

The others murmured in agreement.

 “Anyways, we should go. Come on.” Chenle smiled, and dragged Jisung up with him.

They all sent Jeno a sly look, and Yukhei was about to speak up, but Renjun whispered in his ear. His mouth formed an ‘o’ in realization. Jeno sent them an appreciative glance.

“Jaem, I need to talk to you.”

Jaemin narrowed his eyes. “You better not be breaking up with me.”

“No, never.” Jeno chuckled. He took Jaemin’s hand, kissed it, and led them over to the swings.

“So, what do you need to say?”

Jaemin got on the swings and motioned for Jeno to push him.

“I’d like to tell you a story.”

Jaemin laughed out loud. “Oh, I see. Go on.”

“There once were two boys, best friends since the age of five. They met here many, many years ago.”

“Hm. Sounds familiar.”

“One spring day, one of them asked the other to marry him. The other said yes, but not without hesitation. He didn’t know if they would last. They almost married, but, one of the boys left him. He moved away, breaking the other boy’s heart.”

“Aw, I’m sure that it must’ve hurt so much.”

“But, years later, the boys would reunite on this very same playground. There were many obstacles that laid in between them, but the boys would come to learn that they loved each other more than they could’ve imagined.”

Jeno stopped pushing Jaemin.

“Well, carry on.” Jaemin grew impatient.

“Many years later, one of the boys decided that he loved the other boy so much that he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the other. The other boy was his lifeline, his world.”

“Really, now?” Jeno could feel the smile in Jaemin’s voice.

“So, one day, they met up at the place where it all began. And you know what the boy said?”

Jeno took deep breaths as he reached inside of his pocket.

“What did he say?” Jaemin couldn’t contain his excitement from reaching his voice.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and as he got off the swing, he turned around.

Jeno pecked his lips before taking his hand out of his pocket. He was grinning the widest grin he could muster as he opened the small velvet box.

“Marry me.”

 

 

 

(The other boy said yes.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg look I finished you guys  
> this is my first time actually committing to something lol  
> thank you all for supporting me and reading this mess of words that happened one night at three am.  
> I think this helped me mature as a writer, and definitely gave me a lot of motivation, all thanks to your comments. I appreciate it so much.  
> have a great day, and until next time <3

**Author's Note:**

> yeah let's see where we go with this.


End file.
